Wear Our History, Share Our History

In 2023 the MSAA will continue our yearly tradition of returning a vintage Madison Scouts shirt for sale. Each purchase of a classic shirt buys one shirt for you and one shirt that will be gifted to a current member of the Madison Scouts! The corps members love having a connection to the alumni association, and we love finally being able to replace the version of the shirt in our wardrobe with one that fits and doesn't have holes in it!

This year we let you vote to choose the design to bring back, and we're happy to say that the top choice design was the "Screamin' Skeleton" from the 1997 show, "The Pirates of Lake Mendota." The artwork was wonderfully recreated by alum Aaron Asnicar, and is now available for presale!

General Meeting on Tuesday, May 2nd.

We'll host our first General Meeting of the year on Tuesday, May 2nd, at 7:00 PM CT. These open meetings give you an overall picture of what the Madison Scouts Alumni Association is up to. Attendance is open to everybody. At this meeting, we'll talk about...

• Our plans for the 2023 DCI season
• Exciting events such as the Drums on Parade Tailgate and the Indy Finals Meetup
• Upcoming fundraisers, such as raffles and the yearly vintage shirt fundraiser
• MSAA merchandise is coming soon
• The Madison Scouts Hall of Fame

As most of you know, the drum & bugle corps activity has a rich heritage in Wisconsin, with marching units scattered throughout the State. With thousands of young adults in the activity, dating and serious relationships among drum corps alumni are not uncommon – in many cases leading to marriage. This was the case for Madison residents John Weekes and Cristin McKenna, who were marching members from two different drum and bugle corps. They married in 2006 and are now proud parents of sons Michael and Matthew Weekes. John and Cristin’s union was typical in many ways. However, they shared an especially unique bond – each had tragically lost a close family member to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

The brass section is on its way to Wisconsin for their February rehearsal weekend. Part of my pre-Madison Scouts rehearsal camp ritual is spent reviewing the corps' historical archives and visiting historic locations in town. Today I find myself in a hotel and coffee shop on the former site of Christ Presbyterian Church, where the first rehearsal in February of 1938 was held. As I read, I realize that as much as the activity and Madison Scouts have evolved, it's relatively easy to spot the educational, cultural, and social through-lines that connect us to our past. As I find these documents, I'll be sure to share them here for those who find them interesting. Entertainment, excellence, music and performance education, character development, service to others, human connection, life-long bonds...All since day one. (The two photos of news clips come from the December 8, 1991 issue of the 'Fleur-de-Lis', the former Madison Scouts newsletter that many likely recall. The 1940-41 photos come from C.H. Beebe's scrapbook archives that were recently digitized.) Shoutout to the 1991/92 corps brothers -- These are my personal favorite Madison Scouts productions... --